Tórshavn, Capital town on Streymoy Island, Faroe Islands.
Tórshavn is the capital of the Faroe Islands on Streymoy Island, where houses spread over several gentle hills and narrow lanes wind down to the natural harbor. The Tinganes peninsula divides the harbor basin into two areas and carries a dense cluster of old wooden buildings with red and black facades.
The settlement began in 850 when Viking Age chiefs founded the Faroese parliament on Tinganes, creating one of the oldest parliamentary sites in Europe. Over the centuries the town grew around this historical core and developed into the administrative and trading center of the archipelago.
The Nordic House hosts theater productions and concerts that bring together contemporary artists from across the Nordic countries. In the lanes of the old quarter you see traditional wooden houses in strong colors, their roofs covered with living grass turf that shows the local building method used for centuries.
The central bus terminal at Steinatún connects travelers with regular routes to different places on Streymoy Island throughout the day. The old quarter can be explored on foot, with sturdy shoes recommended because of the hilly ground and often wet paths.
The government buildings on Tinganes remain in use for administrative purposes today, so you can encounter civil servants and staff walking between the old red wooden structures. Some of the houses carry their original construction details from the 16th century, including hand-carved door frames and traditional joints without metal nails.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
